Brainy Cooking with Fresh Summertime Fruits...

 

 

Are you anticipating fresh summer fruits like I am? Whether fresh or dried, cooking with summer fruits bring great flavor to any dish. We don't often think of dried apricots or fresh apricots as a side dish... but they are and deliciously so... just saute, sear and add to any chicken or beef or pork dish.

Mark's Asian chicken with zucchini and apricots or seared flank steak with apricots...

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Get Ready for Summertime ~ Brainy Chicken Picata...

 

 

A Summertime dinner...

For this sunny dish, you will need to buy boneless skinless chicken breast strips, a jar of capers, one lemon, angel hair pasta, one onion, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.

To begin, saute one whole chopped onion in olive oil, adding to that 2 tbs of butter. Prior to that, freshen your chicken breast strips in a rinse of fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Add the chicken strips to the skillet, having pushed the onion to one side of the skillet. Brown the strips on med. heat (adding an extra drizzle of olive oil) and then bring back in the onion.

Next, add 3/4 to 1 cup of heavy cream, dried herbs: rosemary, mint and oregano and half a jar of capers, cover and simmer for 8 min.  Near the end of those eight minutes, slice half a fresh 'washed' lemon, laying in the slices on top of the chicken to cook covered on low heat for about 2-3 minutes.

Don't forget to prepare the angel hair pasta (very thin pasta) by cooking in salted boiling water until tender. Once, tender, drain the pasta and ladle the pasta onto a low lipped serving plate. When the 'Picata' is finished, top the pasta with the rich creamy lemony chicken sauce; grate Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Cooking Brainy 'Cacciatore' means cooking 'hunter style'...

 

 

Cooking 'cacciatore' means cooking 'hunter style'. In Italian cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a dish that has been prepared "hunter-style" and that means with onions, tomatoes, red peppers (optional), green olives,and herbs not to mention if you dried fruits like plums... and we like!
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For this dish, you will need to buy six (or enough for each dinner guest) chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. A richer flavor will develop by having the bone in and skin; in fact, necessary for this dish to be truly authentic 'hunter style'.

Begin by searing the chicken thighs skin side down in olive oil on high heat in a skillet drizzled with olive oil and a about a half cup of chopped onion... continue to sear turning over the thighs until browned on both sides.

At this point, I like to add some chicken stock letting the chicken simmer for about ten minutes before adding fresh whole tomatoes or quality (home jarred) stewed tomatoes.

Whenever I open a jar of my own home jarred tomatoes, it seems like it was just yesterday... the sunshine of vine ripened tomatoes is absolutely delicious ... and it makes me feel sad for the rest.

Next, add to the skillet the herbs: rosemary, oregano and mint along with garlic powder and red pepper flakes for zing but not necessary.  Cover and simmer for 40 min while you prepare a side of wide egg noodle pasta.

Once the pasta is tender, drain, rinse and then ladle onto a serving platter. Top with the chicken cacciatore.

~ Tutti a Tavola!

Brainy 'Veal' Scalloppini with Angel Hair Pasta...

 

 

For this absolutely delicious dish, you will need either a tender veal or pork loin, a jar of roasted red peppers and capers. The angel hair pasta should already be in your pantry. To begin, cut the loin in medallion size chunks/medals and pound them with a meat hammer. Lay them in a glass dish and sprinkle each one with meat tenderizer and garlic powder. Let the pounded meat medallions rest like this for 30 min.

Once you are ready to cook, take a skillet and lightly drizzle in olive oil covering the skillet bottom. Turn on the heat to med. and add one dollop of fresh creamy butter. As the meat rests, top each piece with bread crumbs and dried herbs... both sides. Once the butter and oil begin to bubble, lay in your veal/pork.

Brown on both sides. Next, take two roasted red peppers from the jar and slice, laying the pieces in the skillet with the breaded meat. Add to that 1/4 cup of capers. If you think you need a bit of liquid, pour in a bit from the jarred red peppers. 

Cover and let simmer on low heat while you prepare the angel hair pasta which is often known as Italian Capellini. This pasta is a very thin variety of Italian pasta often referred to as Angel Hair pasta as it is in the form of long golden strands.

 Serve with Parmesan cheese....

~ Tutti a Tavola!